Population:
51.5 million
Area: 342,239 Sq. Km.
Capital: Jaipur
Main Language: Hindi, Rajasthani
When to Go: Mid October to Mid March
Rajasthan, the Land
of the Kings, is India at its exotic and colorful best, with its
battle-scarred forts, palaces of breathtaking grandeur and whimsical
charm, riotous colors and even its romantic sense of pride and
honor.
The state is
diagonally divided into the hilly and rugged south-eastern region
and the barren north-western Thar Desert, which extends across the
border into Pakistan. There are plenty of historic cities,
incredible fortresses awash with legends, and rare gems of
impressionistic beauty, such as Udaipur. There are also a
number of centers that attract travelers from far and wide, such as
Pushkar with its holy lake, and the desert city of Jaisalmer, which
resembles a fantasy from "The Thousand & One Nights".
Rajasthan is one of
India's prime tourist destinations. Nobody leaves here without
priceless memories, a bundle of souvenirs, and an address book full
of new friends.
Rajasthan
- History
This
diverse state is the home of the Rajputs, a group of warrior clans,
who have controlled this part of India for 1000 years according to a
code of chivalry and honor akin to that of the medieval European knights.
While temporary alliances and marriages of convenience were the
order of the day, pride and independence were always
paramount. The Rajputs were therefore never able to present a
united front against a common aggressor. Indeed, much of their
energy was spent squabbling among themselves and the resultant
weakness eventually led to their becoming vassal states of the
Mughal empire. Nevertheless, the Rajputs' bravery and sense of
honor were unparalleled.
Rajput warriors
would fight against all odds and, when no hope was left, chivalry
demanded that jauhar (mass suicide) take place. In this
grim ritual, the women and children committed suicide by immolating
themselves on a huge funeral pyre, while the men donned saffron
robes and rode out to confront the enemy and certain death. In
some of the larger battles, ten of thousands of Rajput warriors lost
their lives in this way. Three times in Chittorgarh's long
history, the women consigned themselves to the flames while the men
rode out to their martyrdom. The same tragic fate befell many
other forts around the state. It's hardly surprising that
Akbar persuaded Rajputs to lead his army, nor that subsequent Mughal
emperors had such difficulty controlling this part of their empire.
With the decline of
the Mughal empire the Rajputs gradually clawed back their
independence through a series of spectacular victories, at least
until the British arrived. As the Raj inexorably expanded,
most Rajput states signed articles of alliance with the British,
which allowed them to continue as independent states, each with its
own maharaja (or similarly titled leader), subject to certain
political and economic constraints.
These alliances
proved to be the beginning of the end for the Rajput rulers.
Indulgence and extravagance soon replaced chivalry and honor so that
by the early 20th century, many of the maharajas spent much of their
time traveling the world with scores of concubines and retainers,
playing polo, racing horses, and occupying entire floors of the most
expensive hotels in Europe and the USA. While it suited the
British to indulge them in this respect, their profligacy was
economically and socially detrimental. When India gained
independence, Rajasthan had one of the subcontinent's lowest rates
of life expectancy and literacy.
At Independence,
India's ruling Congress Party was forced to make a deal with the
independent Rajput states in order to secure their agreement to join
the new India. The rulers were allowed to keep their titles,
their property holdings were secured and they were paid an annual
stipend commensurate with their status. It couldn't last
forever, however, and in the early 1970s Indira Gandhi abolished
both the titles and the stipends and severely sequestered the
rulers' property rights.
While some of the
rulers have survived this by converting their palaces into luxury
hotels, many have fallen by the wayside, unable to cope with the
financial and managerial demands of the late 20th centuary.
